


The Vast Emptiness of the Universe

by Thisisarealtagwhy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, Worldbuilding, but it semi-does, in which canon does not exist, stuck together in a prison au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thisisarealtagwhy/pseuds/Thisisarealtagwhy
Summary: Based off the prompt; "I can’t believe I’m sitting in space gaol with you of all people.”“Shishishi! You’ll never get rid of me!” The idiot with a straw hat says way to cheerfully.“How the hell do you even have a straw hat?” He grouses, he’s lost his earrings and his haramaki, those things cost more croy than he had, okay?(Basically, Zoro and Luffy catch up in a space prison)





	The Vast Emptiness of the Universe

**Author's Note:**

> uhh hewwo? i initially planned to have this be a whole lot words but life got in the way and i thought this was fine as it was. 
> 
> lemme kno what you thought

“I can’t believe I’m sitting in space gaol with you of all people.” Zoro groans, hitting his head against the wall.

“Shishishi! You’ll never get rid of me!” The idiot with a straw hat says _way_ to cheerfully.

“How the hell do you even _have_ a straw hat?” He grouses, he’s lost his earrings _and_ his haramaki, those things cost more croy than he had, okay?

Although, they hadn’t _quite_ managed to nick his infamous three katana off of him. Nor the microscopic chip in the back of his neck which would activate an emergency space suit if needed… You never knew when you were going to go for an unexpected space walk in these parts of the universe.

The boy shrugs unhelpfully, “I told ‘em not to.”

“Dumbass.” He shouldn’t have expected a coherent answer from him anyway given the fact that the first time they met the bastard had managed to not only display his royal flush to the poker table, but had begun an all-out rage driven gun-fight between the Zerphoids and Krisnids who had been living in an imperialistic war with each other over the measly remains of Earth.

Except, that had ‘officially’ ended 5 years ago, well… it seemed that they would be back at it again all because of this fucking kid. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, what’s your name?” he says, still as cheerful as before.

“Roronoa Zoro, bounty hunter.”

“Wow! So, you hunt down awesome criminals, right?”

He runs his hands along the bed carved into the wall, just as suspected, there’s a little catch for emergency escapes, they’re only in there after the Universal Species Rights had a fit after one million creatures spanning the universe burned in a metal container after an electrical fire.

Not many convicts know about them – Zoro only knows because his liason officer knew about them – but in the case of emergency, there’s a little reserve of energy to display instructions so that the workers can also get out of there with a guilt-free conscience.

“My brothers have _huge_ bounties, but they’re also bounty hunters sometimes, they’re both awesome-”

“Alright kid.” Zoro shushes him. “We’re gonna break out of here yeah? I’m going to need your cooperation, are you in or are you out?”

The kid’s grin is turned to a mega-beam and nods, “Though, my brothers are gonna break me out soon.”

 _That_ makes him pause, “Your brothers?”

“Yeah! Ace and Sabo! They’re both really strong! But they would never leave me in here anyway, so they’ll be breaking me out soon.” Luffy explains.

 _Ace… and Sabo…?_ He surely can’t be talking about the infamous duo of resistance fighters? Nobody really knows much aside from that they’re both insanely strong and possess technology light-years beyond what _anybody_ has, even the Xerifay, the most technologically advanced species in the known universe.

And even the Xerifay technology dims in comparison to their own.

There’s a legend circulated by the upper echelons of society that they wield… supernatural abilities. Which is probably just a lie to make them appear more fearsome than they actually are, but still, if things like the Conquering King’s Willpower existed, then it was just as likely that there were supernatural beings in the universe.

To be honest, Zoro had wanted to join the resistance for a while, if only to duel with the bestest of the best when it came to the blade – even if ‘blade’ was inclusive of every other modified weapon – it was his dream to become _The_ Greatest Swordsman alive, surpassing all other species.

He himself was from the Vedaxiaz planet, but once upon a time, his family had migrated from the once all-mighty planet Earth. So, technically, his heritage was from Earth but _he_ himself was Verxaxian, one could pick him out because of his hardened skin and heightened eye-sight.

That second one was harder to tell, but there were few that had the Sight, and he had trained himself to have both, to use his heightened abilities with the Sight.

The Sight is the ability to see just a little bit of the future – enough to predict an enemy’s move.

The Conquering King’s Willpower is a gift only bestowed upon few among a billion. Apparently picked due to the determination of one person and their want of _some_ kind of a throne, it gave them the ability to dominate others’ minds, and sometimes, even control their movements.

“Hello?” Luffy was in front of him, reaching for his face, without thinking, he slaps the offending appendage away. Oh well, the kid ripped him out of his reverie either way.

“No way they’re your brothers.” He says, unthinkingly.

The kids smile dims briefly but hardens as tough as zetarian, “We shared an oath below the stars, all you need to do is drink sake to become brothers, Zoro!”

He frowns, wondering where he heard that, “Wait, isn’t that an Earth tradition?”

“Yup! Ace was born on Earth which is where he heard about it.”

Zoro sighs, chewing his lip he gestures at the kid to sit, “Give me a minute.”

On one hand, he could trust his fate to the hands of a _child,_ though, something tells him that this kid is more than capable of handling himself. “Eh, I’m bored now.” The kid says and promptly, his leg blackens with the Scales of Armament and he kicks the door down (he didn’t even know how Luffy found it, it had been sealed into the wall).

Taking it in stride like the adaptable mastermind he is (nope, he does _not_ ogle, does not wonder if the kid is a swordsman), the chip deposits Wado Ichimonji into his hand and he follows out the open door as alarms blare and guards appear. Luffy’s eyes pop open in awe, “So cool!”

He grins, “What you did was pretty cool too.”

“Shishi, Rayleigh taught me.”

 _Rayleigh??_ As in Rayleigh the Dark Knight?! He would say it’s a lie… but considering who his brothers are…

“There they are!” One of the guards around the corner yells and begin to shoot with their tranquillisers.

He cleaves through the first one to shoot at Luffy, smirking, “Thanks Zoro.”

“No problem.”

“Say… wanna join my crew?” Luffy asks, even as the guards descend upon the pair.

“What?! What kind of crew do you have.” He asks, side-glancing the boy.

“We’re pirates.” Luffy grins widely. “In search of the planet Raftel so I _will_ become the King of the Pirates.”

His voice… his conviction makes the hair at the back of his neck stand up… and yet, he is not afraid. Feeling something ancient coil in his chest at the words spoken he grins widely, “Sure, you’re on Pirate King, but the _moment_ it interferes with my own dream, I will cut you down.”

“What’s your dream?”

“Hey!” The guards scream, still firing wildly, seeing annoyance flash across the boy’s face, he turns to the incoming enemies.

“Mah, you guys are loud.” And with that, the Will of the Conquering King rolls off of his small frame, halting the guards in their tracks, the effect is immediate all collapse to the ground guns clattering to the steel floor.

His jaw drops in honest to god awe, there it is, the Will! With that performance, he _knows_ that this boy is serious about being the King. “Oi, you didn’t answer.”

“To be the Greatest Swordsman Alive.” He says, glad his voice doesn’t stutter.

“Shishishi, the Pirate King could have nothing less than the best.”

As even more guards round the corner the entire prison shakes, “Shit! What was that?” One of the guards’ cries.

But then Luffy cocks his head, listening intently to something beyond Zoro. “Ah! Follow me Zoro!”

“Where are we going?”

“To break out a friend!”

“What?”

“Don’t worry bout it.”

“That’s easy for you to say idiot!”

“Shishishi.”

Luffy doesn’t use his Will again, but he halts in front of another part of the seemingly endless wall and punches straight through it, “Jinbe!”

“Luffy? Is that you?” The Aquarist that steps through the shattered remains of the door is the tallest person Zoro has ever seen, blue skin and webbed hands, the gills that allow them to breathe without oxygen are all characteristics of the Quaritism race.

“Jinbe! I got another member! He’s gonna be the Greatest Swordsman Alive.” Luffy grins and hugs the aquarist.

“I see.” Jinbe nods to him and reciprocates the hug. “Do we know when extraction will be available?”

Luffy shrugs and Zoro interjects, “He says his brothers will come after him.”

Jinbe chuckles fondly, “They will be, but I thought they would be here now seeing as you’ve already instigated a prison break.”

“I was bored.”

“Of course you were.” Jinbe says with a sigh.

“How did you manage to get caught anyway?” Zoro asks as they begin the long arduous walk to the control centre, arduous because there are millions of traps for prisoners, obviously more so for unaccompanied prisoners.

“Well, I was in… what’s the planet in the East sector with the platform on it?”

Zoro thinks about it for a second, “You mean Logue Town?”

“Mm! The town the first Pirate King was executed in, I was trying to hang low or whatever in Logue Town when I was ambushed by hundreds of Enforcers, they were really strong! And apparently the Admirals were there too, it was this thing to try and get my brothers to surrender.” Luffy snorts darkly. “But anyway, I got captured there and ended up here with Zoro.”

“You’re lucky to get away with your life.” Jinbe mutters darkly, hurling water at the fire spurning towards them.

“I guess so.”

Zoro remembers a time when the Enforcers weren’t as revered as they are now, call him a nostalgic old coot but he remembers days where only 5 croy amounted to a loaf of bread whereas now it was closer to 50. He remembers a time that his species weren’t hunted down for their manufacturing of the Zertaura, the strongest known metal in the universe. When the most gorgeous species from Quartima race weren't hunted down for their exquisite beauty. 

And yeah, it would be nice to return to a time before the Enforcers held the power, but he’s long given up on such a ridiculous thought. Pirates and the Resistance are the only two willing to stand up and fight against their tyrannical ways. 

But this boy… the weight of surety he holds in his tone when he says he will be King of the Pirates… Zoro holds the slightest hope for a future he can look forward to.


End file.
